The Laugh Is On You!

Published:PravdaNo. 72, June 16 (3), 1917.

      Published according to the text inPravda.Source:Lenin
	  Collected Works,

      Progress Publishers,1964,

      Moscow,Volume 24,

      pages573-574.Translated:Isaacs BernardTranscription\Markup:B. BagginsandD. WaltersPublic Domain:Lenin Internet Archive

      1999

      (2005).You may freely copy, distribute,
	display and perform this work; as well as make derivative and
	commercial works. Please credit “Marxists Internet
	Archive” as your source.•README

“KingConstantine [of Greece] signed the act of abdication under
      pressure from Allied diplomacy.” writes the newspaper of
      Mr. Milyukov, ex-Minister of Foreign Affairs in the Provisional
      “revolutionary” Government.

TheAllied diplomats have completed the subjugation of Greece by
      first sparking off the Venizelos movement (Venizelos is a former
      minister of Constantine’s who entered the service of the British
      capitalists), causing a split in the army, seizing part of Greek
      territory, and finally using “pressure” to force the abdication
      of the “lawful” monarch, i.e.. to force a revolution from
      above. What kind of “pressure” that was and is everybody
      knows. It was pressure bystarvation.Greece was
      blockaded by the warships of the Anglo-French and Russian
      imperialists and leftwithout bread.The “pressure” on
      Greece was of the same order as that recently applied in Russia
      by the ignorant peasants of some out-of-the-way village, who,
      if we are to believe the newspapers. condemned a citizen to
      death by starvation for having allegedly insulted the Christian
      religion.

Theignorant peasants in some godforsaken hole in Russia starved
      a “criminal” to death. The “civilised” imperialists of Britain,
      France, Russia, etc.,starveda whole country, a whole
      nation, to force it, by “pressure”, to change its policy.

Therewe have therealityof the imperialist war. There
      we have the real state of international relations at the present
      time. The S.R. gentlemen laugh at this. It is really funny, very
      funny....

DyeloNaroda, the ministerial paper of Kerensky,
      Chernov and Co., publishes a laughing editorial entitled:
      “‘Self-determination’ for Greece”. The S.R.s’ sarcasmof Greek “self determination” would have been
      admirablehad it been sincere.

Sincerityin politics does not mean that Kerensky, Chernov and
      Co. have to prove their personal sincerity—we readily take
      that for granted. That is not the point. Sincerity in politics,
      that is, in that sphere of human relations which involves, not
      individuals, but themillions, is acorrespondence
      between word and deedthat lends itself to verification.

Theeditorial inDyelo Narodais insincere because it
      is precisely the Socialist-Revolutionary Party, precisely the
      Kerenskys and the Chernovs,as its leaders, who support
      the Ministry of subjugation ... I beg your pardon, the Ministry
      of Greek “self-determination”, together with citizens Tsereteli
      and Skobelev.

“Itis clear to everyone,” writesDyelo Naroda, “that
      there is no essential difference between imperialist Germany’s
      robber attack on Belgium, Austria’s attack on Serbia, and the
      present advance into the interior of Greece’ on the part of the
      Allied governments.”

Yes,this is clear, and this is not at all a question of
      “ethics”, as the S.R.s believe, but a matter of pure politics. A
      robber attack—that.is what youare participating
      in, citizens S.R.s, citizens Mensheviks,as members of the
      government. The robber attack is an established fact, and
      “pressure from Allied diplomacy”—from all the Allies,
      includingRussia—wasapparently appliedalso
      afterChernov, Tsereteli and Co. joined the cabinet.

Andwhat about the platforms of “peace without annexations”?
      What about the “demands” of “revolutionary democracy” from the
      new government? What about the declarations? Surely it is clear
      by this time that all these platforms, declarations, promises,
      statements, pledges, vows, etc., etc., are asheer
      mockeryof the people.

Thelaugh is on you, gentlemen of the S.R. and Menshevik fold!
      You are laughing at your own policy of trust in the capitalists
      and the government of the capitalists! You arc laughing at your
      own role of eloquent and bombastic servants of capitalism and
      imperialism, servants in the rank of ministers!